Is very large. Great, actually. Not just because of his height (1.93 meters, which will be said soon), but also because of that feeling of poise that he transmits at all times and has led us to declare ourselves his fans. Yeah Liam Neeson He is one of those actors that we will never stop appreciating, no matter how many food roles he rolls, as it is said, period.
to their 71 years Recently turned, the actor born in Ballymena (Northern Ireland) in 1954 has a filmography full of memorable titles: how to forget Schindler’s List, Rob Roy, Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Batman Begins or if, Revenge. But also has Lesser-known movies that are crying out for revision. Here we present our essentials.
‘Darkman’ (Sam Raimi, 1990)
After long years of supporting roles and TV series (when that meant saying goodbye to your chances of stardom), Neeson starred in the film in which Raimi preempted superhero cinema… by inventing a character he didn’t even know about. Marvel neither DC they would not even have touched it with a stick. The journey towards revenge (and psychopathy) of the poor Peyton West Lake it remains one of the most daring titles in the genre.
‘Glow in the Dark’ (David Seltzer, 1992)
It is clear that this romantic spy drama is not going to go down in history on its own merits, but it makes for an entertaining viewing and also allows us to see something we never imagined: Liam Neeson playing the Nazi. A Nazi who also makes the fatal mistake of falling in love with Melanie Griffith not knowing that this is a spy for the allies supervised (and something else) by Michael Douglas.
‘Nell’ (Michael Apted, 1994)
One year after schindler’s list shot him to stardom in style, Neeson accompanied Jodie Foster in this film that led the actress to receive her fourth and last (for now) Oscar nomination. The Irishman and his wife Natasha Richardson they play a couple of scientists who study the behavior of a young woman (Foster) raised in total isolation by her family.
‘K-19: The Widowmaker’ (Kathryn Bigelow, 2002)
The combination of the director of the hurt Locker with Neeson and Harrison Ford, both playing Soviet navy officers, enough to melt down nuclear reactors. And this is demonstrated by this film based on the atrocious real case of a submarine whose crew had to face a nuclear threat in the waters of the Arctic.
‘Kinsey’ (Bill Condon, 2004)
That Liam Neeson has aroused (and continues to arouse) low passions in large contingents of the public is no secret. For this reason, we take the opportunity to recommend this biopic in which he playsAlfred Kinsey, the sexologist whose findings opened the door to LGBTQ liberation. Avoiding puns on the director’s last name is difficult, but possible.
‘Breakfast on Pluto’ (Neil Jordan, 2005)
As the son of very Catholic Ireland, Liam Neeson seems made to wear the habits, and this film by his countryman Jordan, who had already directed him in Michael Collins (1996) demonstrates this by putting him in a cassock and turning him into the father (figuratively, and also literally) of a transgender girl played by Cillian Murphy. Something that, by rebound, allows the actor to see Peaky Blinders and oppenheimer in a role far removed from his most popular works
‘The A-Team’ (Joe Carnahan, 2010)
Although Neeson hasn’t entered franchise cinema in a big way (are you there, Marvel?), this reboot of the mythical series from the 80s achieved something worth a hundred blockbusters: take an outdated audiovisual product and modernize it without embarrassing others. In the mercenary team in question, in addition to a rocky Liam as Hannibal Smith, we could see Bradley Cooper giving it all like Phoenix, the boss of the gang
‘White Hell’ (Joe Carnahan, 2011)
After The A-team, Neeson and director Joe Carnahan retaliated with a much more modest but extremely brutal film that pitted the Irishman against a pack of hungry wolves in Alaska. Although the film has errors that could make a biologist cry, its unstoppable tension and the beauty of its snowy images (the temperature on set touched the 40 degrees below zero) they will give you chills in the armchair.
‘Walking among the graves’ (Scott Frank, 2014)
Between sequel and sequel Revenge (This same year, he premiered the third), the Neeson of the 2010s dropped such interesting products in his filmography as White Hell and this dark and brooding noir. Our hero plays an ex-cop with one foot in rehab and another in the nearest pub that investigates the kidnapping of a drug dealer’s wife: if you want to know how the story continues, you just have to look at the title.
‘Derry Girls’ (series, 2018-2022)
Are we cheating? Well yes, but it’s for a good cause: in its third and final season, the sitcom Lisa McGee broke all Irish records by pairing the Ballymena actor with the gang of teenage disasters headed by Saoirse-Monica Jackson. And doing it he achieved our favorite Liam Neeson moment of the decade. Not only for a hilarious first performance, but also for that farewell that brings a lump to our throats.
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